Event raises nearly $30,000 for cancer support groups
Athletic achievement, selfless giving and community involvement formed a perfect blend last Saturday at the inaugural Barb’s Tri, an event that raised an estimated $30,000 in the continuing fight against cancer.
The namesake of co-founder and Healdsburg resident Barbara Recchia, Barb’s Tri is the reincarnation of Barb’s Race, which raised nearly $1 million for local cancer support groups in its 15-year existence before being dropped following the sale of the Vineman brand in 2015.
Last year, Recchia, Skip Brand of the Healdsburg Running Company and Athletic Director Adam Ray of Scena Performance partnered with Bellwether Farms to resurrect the race, quickly finding local interest to continue the event in a new form.
Barb’s Tri offered female athletes a variety of triathlon race distances, including an Olympic distance (.93 mile swim, 27.9 mile bike, 6.2 mile run), and a Sprint distance (.5 mile swim, 14 mile bike, 3.1 mile run). The event also included an Olympic Relay, with three athletes on each team.
The picturesque race route included stretches of West County backroads, starting and finishing at Memorial Beach in Healdsburg.
Like its predecessor, proceeds from Barb’s Tri will go to benefit the Sutter Institute for Health and Healing in Santa Rosa. The organization offers physical, emotional and spiritual care and comfort for cancer patients to relieve the effects of their treatment.
The race included a minimum fundraising requirement for each participating athlete, roughly equal to the registration fee.
Barbra Friedman, a massage therapist from Forestville, was the top individual fundraiser for Barb’s Tri 2017, raising an impressive $6,100 in just three weeks.
“This race means a lot to me and I only did it to raise the money,” Friedman said after winning the 60-64 year-old age group in the Sprint Distance race in a clocking of 2:27:29. “I want to thank the people in the West County for showing up, they were so giving and all I had to do was ask. It was a lot easier to raise the money than to actually run the race,” she joked.
Amy Koop of Millbrae was the first to cross the finish line in the Sprint distance race in an official time of 1:25:57, more than two minutes ahead of second-place finisher Jamie Harden (1:28:16). Rounding out the top five were Santa Rosa School Board member Jenni Klose (1:28:45), Diana Garbarino (1:29:31) and Leslie Field (1:31:18).
Dierdre Hassett took top honors in the Olympic distance race with a clocking of 2:29:06, seven minutes ahead of Kris Klotzbach (2:36:17). The top five Olympic Distance finishers included Naomi Flifflett (2:40:16), Mai Hamel (2:44:16) and Brenna Broadnax (2:46:03).
For Recchia, a two-time cancer survivor on hand to greet all athletes at the finish line, the event was equal parts gratifying and emotional.
“As always I was so inspired by the women who raced,” she reflected. ”It’s an honor to hang a medal around the neck of the finishers and to hear how excited they were about the event. It especially meant a lot to me to be able to continue raising money to support Sutter’s Integrative Medicine Services for local cancer patients.”
In the wake of an exhausting day that began before dawn and lasted well into the afternoon, Athletic Director Adam Ray seemed satisfied following the inaugural Barb’s Tri.
“I’ve got a million impressions (all good) from the day,” Ray said later. “The amount of good will around this particular event is really jaw-dropping and makes it all worth it.”
